Brent residents in receipt of welfare benefits may see their money slashed by up to £200 a month as changes come in from the government.

Brent Council is warning residents of the change, due to be enforced in November, that will see the introduction of a lower weekly limit (known as the Overall Benefit Cap) for the total amount of welfare benefits that can be received by a household.

The benefit cap, which is currently set at £500 a week, will drop to £442.31 for couples, families and single parents and from £350 a week to £296.35 for a single person, to include housing benefits, jobseekers allowances, child tax credits, or incapacity benefits.

Any shortfall from the reductions will be taken from housing benefit meaning people will see increases in their rent. Certain groups, such as war widows, are exempt.

Cllr Harbi Farah, Brent Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “Losing £50 per week may not seem like a huge loss to some people, but to others it is a significant sum of money. It can mean the difference between being able to put food on the table or going hungry, between paying the rent or becoming homeless.

“If you think you may be affected by these changes, consider your options and take action now. Some of the things you could do to avoid the cap include finding work or increasing your hours of work; applying for working tax credit or finding more affordable accommodation.”

He added: “Brent Works can also provide assistance by helping you find work as they have access to details of current vacancies and work available with employers in Brent.”

For further information and a access to a benefits calculator to see how you are personally affected visit brent.gov.uk/benefits or call 020 8903 6825.